Creating Scientific Linux 6 appliances

Any machine (physical or virtual) needs a boot disk containing the operating system.

Here, we propose scripts to create new customized Scientific Lunux 6.5 bootable disk image (or appliance). You must use these scripts inside a Scientific Linux host.

All this is done using Kickstart.

Execution

Administrator privileges are need to run the script.


$> ./sl65_createlivecd.sh

Scripts

bash script "sl65_createlivecd.sh";
kickstart file "sl65_createlivecd.ks".

You must also download our contextualization scripts.

VirtualBox

The middleware proposes a bash script to manage virtual machine in VirtualBox. You can use this script to test an appliance in your own computer with VirtualBox installed,.

Using this script, you can:
– get help, if you provide no parameter or use ‘-h’ or ‘–help’;
– install a new virtual machine in Virtualbox;
– start a virtual machine in Virtualbox;
– stop a virtual machine in Virtualbox;
– remove a virtual machine from Virtualbox.

Execution


$> ./xwstartvm.sh
Usage : ./xwstartvm.sh --install --name vm_name --hda aFile [install_parameters] | --start --name vm_name | --stop --name vm_name | --uninstall --name vm_name

When running on the Grid Computing, commands are automatically and sequentially executed as follow
[1] install –hda aFile [install_parameters] [2] start
[3] stop
[4] uninstall

–install –name vm_name –hda aFile [–context aFile] [–app aFile] [–input aFile] [–result aFile] [–sshport portNumber] [–sharedfs aDirectory] This installs a new VM in VirtualBox and exits.
Install parameters:
–hda aFile : This is required
This provides the boot disk (an ISO, VDI, VMDK or VHD)

–context aFile : This is optional
This provides a file or a directory as context
If this is not a virtual disk (VD), a new VD is created containing aFile (recursively, if applicable)
If this is a VD (an ISO, VDI, VMDK or VHD), it is kept as is
The VD will be mounted on /mnt/xwcontext

–app aFile : This is optional
This provides a virtual disk (VD) file to mount on /mnt/app
This file may be ISO, VDI, VMDK or VHD file
This typically contains user application stack
This is removed at VM shutdown

–input aFile : This is optional
This provides a virtual disk (VD) file to mount on /mnt/input
This file may be ISO, VDI, VMDK or VHD file
This typically contains user application input files
This is removed at VM shutdown

–result aFile : This is optional
This provides a virtual disk (VD) file to mount on /mnt/result
This file may be ISO, VDI, VMDK or VHD file
If not provided, the script creates, formats
and mounts a new empty 30Gb disk
This will contain user application results
This is kedpt at VM shutdown and sent back to user

–sharedfs : This is optional
This provides a local directory to be mounted inside the VM on /mnt/sharedfs
This is forced to , when running on the Grid Computing
–sshport : This is optional
This provides a port number to forward to VM port 22, to connect through ssh

–start –name vm_name
This starts vm_name

–stop –name vm_name
This stops vm_name

–uninstall –name vm_name
This uninstalls vm_name from VirtualBox

 

Scripts

bash script “xwstartvm.sh”;
bash script “createvdi”.

Creating Scientific Linux 5 appliances

This is deprecated

You should prefer Scientific Linux 6.

Introduction

Here, we propose scripts to create new customized Scientific Lunux 5 bootable disk image (or appliance). You must use these scripts inside a Scientific Linux host.

Execution

Administrator privileges are need to run the script.


$> ./sl5_createlivecd.sh

Scripts

bash script "sl5_createlivecd.sh".

You must also download our contextualization scripts.